The rule
| Word | Means | Example | Test |
|---|---|---|---|
| it's | it is or it has | It's cold outside. It's been snowing all week. | It is cold outside. Makes sense, so it's. |
| its | belonging to it | The company changed its logo. | The company changed it is logo. Makes no sense, so its. |
Why no apostrophe for ownership? Because its is a possessive pronoun, like his, hers, ours and theirs. None of them use an apostrophe. You would never write hi's or our's, so do not write it's for ownership either.
| Wrong | Right | Why |
|---|---|---|
| The dog wagged it's tail. | The dog wagged its tail. | The tail belongs to the dog. It is tail makes no sense. |
| Its going to rain. | It's going to rain. | It is going to rain. Makes sense, so it needs the apostrophe. |
| The team lost it's first game. | The team lost its first game. | The game belongs to the team. |
| Its' color is bright red. | Its color is bright red. | Its' is never correct. |
Worked examples
Example 1: two in one sentence
Problem (Its / It's) time to give the dog (its / it's) dinner.
- First blank: It is time to give the dog... makes sense, so It's.
- Second blank: give the dog it is dinner makes no sense. The dinner belongs to the dog, so its.
Answer It's time to give the dog its dinner.
Example 2: it has
Problem (Its / It's) been three years since the bridge closed for (its / it's) repairs.
- First blank: It has been three years makes sense, so It's. Remember it's can mean it has.
- Second blank: the repairs belong to the bridge, so its.
Answer It's been three years since the bridge closed for its repairs.
Common mistakes and fixes
| Mistake | Fix |
|---|---|
| Thinking every s that shows ownership needs an apostrophe | Nouns do (the dog's tail), but possessive pronouns do not (its tail). |
| Forgetting that it's can mean it has | Test both: it is and it has. |
| Trusting spell-check | Both words are spelled correctly, so spell-check often misses the mix-up. Do the test yourself. |
| Writing its' | That form does not exist. Use its or it's. |
Practice
Five its or it's questions
___ going to snow tonight.
- It's
- Its
- Its'
- It
Show answer
Answer: It's
It is going to snow tonight makes sense, so use the contraction it's. Its shows ownership, its' is not a word, and It going to snow is missing a verb.
The company changed ___ logo last spring.
- its
- it's
- its'
- it is
Show answer
Answer: its
The logo belongs to the company, so use the possessive its. The company changed it is logo makes no sense, and its' is not a word.
___ been three years since we moved here.
- Its
- It's
- Its'
- It
Show answer
Answer: It's
It has been three years makes sense, so use it's, the contraction of it has. The other forms do not mean it has.
The bird built ___ nest in the gutter.
- its
- it's
- its'
- it has
Show answer
Answer: its
The nest belongs to the bird, so use its. It is nest and it has nest make no sense.
Which sentence is correct?
- Its time to feed the dog it's dinner.
- Its time to feed the dog its dinner.
- It's time to feed the dog it's dinner.
- It's time to feed the dog its dinner.
Show answer
Answer: It's time to feed the dog its dinner.
It is time needs It's, and the dinner belongs to the dog, so its. Each other choice gets at least one of the two wrong.
Frequently asked questions
Why is its not spelled with an apostrophe if it shows ownership?
Possessive pronouns never take an apostrophe: his, hers, ours, yours, theirs and its. The spelling it's is reserved for the contraction of it is or it has. Purdue OWL gives the same tip: you do not write hi's, so do not write it's for ownership.
Is its' ever correct?
No. There is no form its' in standard English. Something owned by one it uses its. If you are thinking of a plural owner, the pronoun is their, as in the birds and their nests.
Does the SAT test its and it's?
Yes. College Board's Genitives and Plurals skill includes choosing between possessive determiners like its and their and contractions like it's and they're. See SAT Form, Structure, and Sense.
Sources
- Purdue OWL, Apostrophe Introduction, accessed October 1, 2026
- College Board, Assessment Framework for the Digital SAT Suite, version 3.01 (August 2024), accessed October 1, 2026
